I edit in Adobe Premiere, I usually edit Pro Res video, but also Sony XD or H.264. Looking to upgrade to the new Mac Pros, but unsure what I should prioritize as far as specs(Better CPU? Better Video Cards? More RAM?). At first I was really excited to see the afterburner card, but now it looks like it only works with FCP. Any suggestions?
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MP 7,1 Best Mac Pro build for video editing
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According to Apple's recommendations:
16-core Intel Xeon
48GB (6x8GB) RAM
Two Vega II GPUs with Infinity Fabric Link
1TB SSD
Really the question is how much money you have. Premiere isn't stupendous about GPU utilization across the entire workflow so I'd recommend prioritizing CPU upgrades. A huge boot volume isn't super-important because you should probably have your footage on a fast scratch disk and your cache/render files somewhere else as well.
Since you don't need gobs of RAM, it's hard to argue you should have any more CPU than the 16c just because the cost per core skyrockets with the -M processors.
Basically I'd prioritize the CPU, storage (internal or external), and then GPU. RAM is the easiest to upgrade yourself down the line. I think two Vegas is probably overkill for you versus a single Vega or W5700X when they ship.
16-core Intel Xeon
48GB (6x8GB) RAM
Two Vega II GPUs with Infinity Fabric Link
1TB SSD
Really the question is how much money you have. Premiere isn't stupendous about GPU utilization across the entire workflow so I'd recommend prioritizing CPU upgrades. A huge boot volume isn't super-important because you should probably have your footage on a fast scratch disk and your cache/render files somewhere else as well.
Since you don't need gobs of RAM, it's hard to argue you should have any more CPU than the 16c just because the cost per core skyrockets with the -M processors.
Basically I'd prioritize the CPU, storage (internal or external), and then GPU. RAM is the easiest to upgrade yourself down the line. I think two Vegas is probably overkill for you versus a single Vega or W5700X when they ship.
Afterburner also works for ProRes decode in DaVinci Resolve Studio according to pg.23 of the Mac Pro Technical Paper.
If you already know Premiere, Resolve's interface works almost exactly like Premiere on the Edit page. If you're dead set on Premiere you'd be better off going with a Windows system as Adobe's video apps are currently and have been for a long time horribly optimized and inefficient on Mac hardware. Both Resolve and FCP are both god modern options that perform as you'd expect on modern hardware. Given Adobe's track record it's gonna be a while before they add Afterburner or Mac Pro support, and even then it'll be underwhelming.
Edit : Moving projects between editing apps is pretty easy these days via newer versions of XML.
Don't give people false hope with XML and video timelines. While GENERALLY speaking it's possible for basics, there are a plethora of issues going from one program to another. Often it becomes even worse when going from platform/OS to another. Effects rarely transfer properly, if at all. Audio is often better off being provided by mixdown or through ProTools in some fashion.
The days of round-tripping through a universal XML that were basically promised 10+ years ago by open formats and standards never really worked the way it should have. Automatic Duck basically "merged" into Adobe products, but they do still develop for FCPX (which might be the worst offender with non-standard XML). No one is really making an effort to make it easy to go between software. It is not in any of their long-term best interests.
Last year we had to move a film mid-editing from FCPX to PP using XML. We lost all the Visual SFX, LUTS, and Audio SFX on the transfer. What a headache.
Check out XtoCC. I’ve been using it for years - it does a pretty good job and there are frequent updates from the developer.
XtoCC
The all-in-one tool to move a Final Cut Pro X Event or Project to Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, FCP 7 and beyond! This app translates Final Cut Pro X Library XML (fcpxml) and converts it for import into Adobe's Creative Cloud apps, Premiere Pro CS6, Final Cut Pro 6 or 7, or other...
apps.apple.com
XtoCC – Intelligent Assistance Software
intelligentassistance.com
It's great software but you will lose a lot of effects as well. It is not a 100% transfer if your video has a lot of specialized plugins.Check out XtoCC. I’ve been using it for years - it does a pretty good job and there are frequent updates from the developer.
XtoCC
The all-in-one tool to move a Final Cut Pro X Event or Project to Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, FCP 7 and beyond! This app translates Final Cut Pro X Library XML (fcpxml) and converts it for import into Adobe's Creative Cloud apps, Premiere Pro CS6, Final Cut Pro 6 or 7, or other...apps.apple.com
XtoCC – Intelligent Assistance Software
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Just noticed a pending PP update. Will finish the current project before updating. Looks like 'fixes' of some type.
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Sorry to give hope with regard to effects. Those have never been supported so I haven't relied on that workflow for years. I usually cut in FCP and finish in Resolve like the days before Resolve could edit. Usually stay away from plugins that only work in one app. LUTs are easy to reapply manually and the handful pf plugins I use work on both, but I don't even bother using them in FCP except for a rough preview. Duplicating the timeline and removing effects before moving to Resolve has been standard practice in my workflow.
Once you get used to doing it the old fashioned way it frees you up to use any editor ( Premiere, FCP ) and any finishing app ( Resolve, Scratch, Baselight, Nuke Studio ). Being tied to one app for everything can be convenient until the developer drops the ball ( Adobe ). Being handcuffed to an Adobe app is like being stuck on the Titanic.
Once you get used to doing it the old fashioned way it frees you up to use any editor ( Premiere, FCP ) and any finishing app ( Resolve, Scratch, Baselight, Nuke Studio ). Being tied to one app for everything can be convenient until the developer drops the ball ( Adobe ). Being handcuffed to an Adobe app is like being stuck on the Titanic.
Case in point: doing comps for a live event with 4K video walls. Each of the seven constituent frames was taking hours to render in After Effects, because if you continuously rasterize vector files (aka keep your vector files from looking like crap) Adobe's render engine can only max a single core. Gah.
Looking forward to doing more projects in Resolve so I'm more comfortable with it.
I have all three on different computers in my company. I divide the projects up based on costumer specifics and the editor who wants to tackle it. But once started, we try [hard] not to change editing platforms/software mid project.